Update – I bought a bike!
It’s a 2003 Honda Rebel with 2500 miles, and it’s in pristine condition – apparently the original owner kept it IN HIS BEDROOM, and the second owner, who I bought it from, took great care of it, and her partner, who is a mechanic, maintained it meticulously.
So far, my impressions of it are that it’s a beautiful bike, and I’m glad I got it, but I won’t be keeping it too long. My questions about whether it was too small for the highway were answered immediately when I rode it home along the Long Island Expressway and then the BQE. The thing is, it definitely keeps up with traffic easily – I can easily do 65 and still have plenty of juice left in the throttle (maybe this is related to my size).
But the problem is, it is uncomfortable as hell at those speeds. In general, it’s not a comfortable bike to sit on for an hour or more – I start to slouch and my back gets stiff, and even at 5’4″, my legs feel cramped. But on top of that, when the Rebel is doing anything over 55, it’s a vibration machine, and that’s super unpleasant to sit on top of. It feels totally capable of maintaining speed, from a mechanical standpoint – but from a comfort standpoint, doing 65 on this bike honestly just blows.
So I figure I will keep it through this riding season, build my skills, get more comfortable on the bike, and then, this winter/next spring, trade up for a 450-650 standard.
I also thought I’d throw in my (very brief) thoughts on my gear, since one of my primary frustrations when I was shopping for it was the lack of personal experiences/reviews of the products I was looking at.
Jacket – Olympia Airglide 3 – This jacket is kind of ugly, in my opinion, but it could be worse – and overall, from a functional standpoint, it’s been great. Fits pretty well and I love that I can attach it to my regular belt with the snaps on the back (so that it doesn’t ride up on my back). It’s pretty hot in stopped traffic but the air flows through the mesh really nicely when you’re moving, and the armor feels very substantial/beefy (though the back protector is nothing). Only gripe: the collar is built for a bull-size neck, it seems, and is very uncomfortable.
Gloves – Icon Pursuit – These gloves are perforated leather with knuckle protectors. They’re surprisingly un-hot for black leather gloves, and my only problem is that the fingers run a little long. But overall, I’m very pleased.
Helmet – Scorpion EXO-700 – Jury is still out on this one. I love the color (hi-viz lime green / yellow), and it’s pretty comfortable. But it’s my first full-face helmet, and I’m still not sure about the fit. It seems like the chin bar is ALMOST not low enough – my chin isn’t sticking out the bottom of the helmet, but it ALMOST is – too close for comfort for me. It’s weird, though, because the rest of the helmet is definitely the right size for me – so I don’t know, maybe this is just how it’s supposed to fit? Thoughts would be welcome.
Boots – Haven’t bought em yet, still looking for a good protective pair right now. Looks are not important – I’ve decided I’m just going to change my shoes when I get to work every day, because I’ve heard way too many horror stories about injured feet/ankles. So, the most important thing is protective and $200 or under – any recommendations?